An Unexpected Guest
by M.G.Erb
Summary: Ron Weasley's worst nightmare: he has to watch over the son of his former nemesis while his father is on the run. How will the boy cope being around the lively Weasley family, especially his childhood crush? And what is to become of this threat that haunts the wizarding world this time?
1. Chapter 1

Ron Weasley sat at his desk sipping his second cuppa tea of the morning. It had been an early start to the day since Kingsley Shacklebolt had asked to speak with Ron regarding an upcoming mission. Lately, the Aurors had been seeing an increase in activity over the past few months, but this time it seems as though there have been a turn in events.

Someone was out to get Slytherins. Someone was out there killing those who sided with Voldemort or had a history of Deatheaters in their family. Somebody was viciously killing every man, woman, and child out there with some relationship. It made Ron shuddered at the mass murders the Aurors had been cleaning up the past few months. Ron looked at the current family photo on his desk. There was him, the bloke who managed to marry the woman of his dreams and had three beautiful and clever children with her. Hermione Weasley was a bit heavier but not too much; she never had that much of an appetite to start with. Her hair was still curly but now she preferred to have it pinned up in bun or plait to look more professional.

His eldest child Rose was next to him, the quintessential apple of his eye. She had Hermione's eyes, hair, and personality. All she got from the Weasleys was a shade of ginger in her hair and some of Ginny's spunk. At Hermione's side was Hugo, now fourteen, had every bit of Weasley in his lanky body; freckles, eyes, and hair. He did inherit Hermione's teeth and luckily, her intelligence. And finally there was Hattie, the miracle baby. She was a bit spoilt but it wasn't her fault; as the youngest Weasley grandchild and with two older siblings who doted on her endlessly she tended to have a bit of a naughty streak. She was the perfect blend of Ron and Hermione with her growing curls, more chocolate than ginger, and blue eyes.

He thought of the parents without children, the children without parents, and those families who had been completely obliterated. It made Ron sick to his stomach but soon it went away with Kingsley's formative and dominant figure entering Ron's office.

"Weasley," he said reaching his hand out to shake Ron's.

"Shacklebolt," said Ron, returning the gesture. "How can I help you today, sir?"

"As you know, this recent events have prompted some unwelcomed coverage to the Ministry. Many families are resorting to going undercover. You now Theodore Nott?"

"The bloke – sorry – the one who works for the food department?"

"He recently left the position because he fears he is in danger."

Ron seemed a bit surprised by this even though something like this about a git like Nott, who had tried to make a move on Hermione after the war, shouldn't be surprising.

"He's not the first," said Kingsley, presenting a long list of names. "Many families are going into hiding. Recognize a name on there?"

"I recognize a bunch of names – I went to school with many of them…Malfoy?"

"Yes. Because of Lucius Malfoy's compliance after the war, the Malfoy are considered to be at high risk and therefore Draco, his wife, and their son have sent a request to go into hiding."

Ron sighed. He never thought in a million years would his nemesis be in the same position his family faced during his final year at Hogwarts.

"There's a catch, Weasley."

"Go on…"

"Draco and his wife are fleeing the country, but their son is staying here."

"That's horrible," said Ron. "Who'd do that to their child? Isn't the boy an only child too?"

"Yes. Understand this Weasley, they are looking for Draco. They want his head before Scorpius' head. It's safer for the boy to be away from his parents."

"But surely whoever is doing this can kidnapped Scorpius and use his as a hostage."

"If Scorpius is living in a place with upmost security, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Surely Malfoy Manor has that…"

"Draco says that the curse left on the Manor by his aunt prevents any sort of proper security."

"That barmy witch put a curse on the Manor?"

"Finding out new things today?" said Kingsley, dryly.

"Yes!" said Ron incredulously.

"Anyway," sighed Kingsley. "Here's what I need from you…"

"Find a place for the boy?"

"We've found a place already, Weasley," said Kingsley, giving a Ron a stern look.

"Where?" asked Ron.

"Yours."


	2. Chapter 2

"Weasley?"

Ron sat in silence. _This isn't actually happening._

"Weasley?" _Merlin's beard this isn't actually happening._

"Weasley? Did you hear me?"

"Oh, I heard you," said Ron. "It's just not what I was expecting…"

"From what Draco told me, Scorpius' only non-Slytherin acquaintance is your daughter Rose. We felt that Scorpius would be more comfortable if he's with a companion."

"Who happens to be my sixteen year old daughter!" said Ron. "I won't allow a teenage boy in my house with my teenage daughter!"

"Weasley, I know you're protective of Rose…"

"Damn right I am!"

"This is not some hormonal wild boy. Scorpius is a fine young man who has excellent reviews from his professors and colleagues."

"I don't bloody care if the boy is knighted by the bloomin' queen! I don't want him in my house!" said Ron as he pounded his fist down on the desk.

Kingsley looked at him, then raised his chest as though he was about to give an important speech.

"Weasley, remember just a few minutes before when you said it wasn't fair for the boy to be left by family? I remember that clearly. I also remember your face when you saw those two kids' bodies frozen by the Killing Curse."

Ron gulped. He had tried to forget that day when he saw the two little boys' corpses. They were only eight and six years old. The same gap as Rose and Hugo, who at that time were going to school learning chess and quidditch, and constantly pestering each other. Those boys would never do that again.

"This boy needs shelter. Do you think he deserves to die? Like those kids?"

"No innocent kid should ever experience that," said Ron.

"The same with Scorpius. He's not your nemesis' son from school, Weasley. He's a ward, he needs something resembling a home. He needs some comfort."

Ron sighed. "Alright, but I need to call Hermione first to make sure it's alright."

"Actually…"

"Oi!" said Ron. "You told her!"

"We knew we'd get a better answer from her first than you. We also knew that if she said yes, you'd have to agree."

"Bloody hell, you think I'm whipped?"

"No, just…very infatuated with Mrs. Weasley."

Ron's cheeks turned red. He felt like his eighteen year old self again whenever someone mentioned Hermione in terms of him.

"So, when do I meet the kid?"

"At the end of the day. We're just taking care of some identity papers for him and going over protocol with him in terms of undergoing hiding."

"Alright, I'll see you at the end of the day then, Shacklebolt."

"Thanks, Weasley," said Kingsley as he left Ron's office.

Once left alone, Ron swore to himself. A Slytherin in his home; a teenage boy who would be around his daughter all summer. Even Ron knew that Rose would be a catch; her curly hair, intelligence, and charming personality made any boy drool over him. Hugo had shared stories with Ron about Rose having boys carry her books or lending her a scarf for a tournament.

"It's your job to protect her, Hugo, when I'm not there," said Ron.

"No way Dad!" laughed Hugo. "I'm not her keeper! She's a big girl, she can handle it."

But can she? Ron remembered one time when Rose felt off a broom while playing quidditch with her cousins and uncles. She was six, and falling from a broom was a terrifying thing for a six year old. She was so upset and it broke Ron's heart, so he vowed never to make Rose cry or let anything hurt her again. This included boys.

Around 4:30, Kingsley knocked on Ron's door. Once he had packed his briefcase, Ron walked over and opened the door to Kingsley and Ron's personal nightmare.

Scorpius Malfoy looked like a magazine model. His hair was slicked and parted; his suit was clean and pressed; his shoes shone; and his robes were immaculate.

"Weasley, I like you to meet Scorpius Malfoy."

"Hello, Mr. Weasley," said Scorpius, presenting his hand to shake Ron's.

"Hi," said Ron, shaking it but without much commitment.

"Scorpius, you're in the Weasley family's hands now. Do what he says and you'll stay in one piece. Understood?"

"Of course," said Scorpius, looking as if that was the stupidest thing he had ever heard.

"Alright, I'll see you later hopefully. Good night Weasley."

"Good night, Shacklebolt," said Ron as he walked away.

The two figures stood awkwardly at the door, waiting for something to happen.

"Mr. Shacklebolt tells me your wife works here as well," said Scorpius.

"Yeah," replied Ron. More silence.

"I…I don't think I saw her today, sir."

"She leaves early to pick up our youngest from nursery school," said Ron. "Although Muggle schools have summer holidays soon so Hattie will be mostly home with us."

"I can't wait to meet her," said Scorpius. "Rosie's told me about her…"

"Rosie?" said Ron, raising an eyebrow.

"I mean…Rose, sir…you see everyone use to call her 'Rosie' our first year…although I guess she prefers Rose now…"

"Alright, let's just…go home, okay?" said Ron.

"Sounds fine to me," said Scorpius, sounded relieved that he didn't have to make any more awkward chitchat for the rest of the time.


	3. Chapter 3

Ron scowled on the way home, trying to avoid any eye contact with Scorpious. He may not be eactly Draco, but the idea of having a snobby spoilt child in his home was very unappealing. Why did the Weasleys have to be a safe home for Draco Malfoy's son? Ron was sure that Harry was trying to teach him some lesson about people, but did it have to involve the son of their school rival?

The boy meanwhile made little effort to converse with Ron this time, considering that Rose had warned him numerous times about her father's notorious temper. They had to travel by Knight Bus, due to the Floo channels being shut off permanently thanks to the recent threats. Due to their discomfort and constant shuffling around, it was probably best that they were silent towards each other.

When they arrived to the Weasley family's apartment building, Scorpious and Ron continued not to speak to each other until Rose opened the door. At first she blushed when she saw Scorpious, then she realized that her father was there and regained her composure.

"Daddy - ?" asked Rose, confused for a second.

"Scorpius is staying with us for now," said Ron quickly. "His family went into hiding after their house was attack."

"I'm so sorry, Scorpius," said Rose, her eyes soft with sympathy. Scorpious had a small smile on his face and his gaze met Rose's. "Does Mum know about this?"

"Yes," groaned Ron, entering the flat with Scorpius behind him. "Where is she anyway? It's almost six."

"She went out to pick up fish and chips for everyone," said Rose. "Hattie and Hugo are with her. I was here tidying up when you two showed up. Scorpious, you can take off your shoes."

"Oh…well…thanks, but I'm fine," said Scorpious. "My mother always made a fuss when I walked around in socks." Ron rolled his eyes. God forbid that a Malfoy should walk the halls of the manor in socks.

"I insist, Scorpious," said Rose, crossing her arms. "You're clearly not going anywhere anytime soon, so you might as well get comfortable."

"Okay, Mother," said Scorpious, teasing her. Ron noticed that Rose rolled her eyes as Scorpious untied his shoes, much like Hermione rolled her eyes when Ron teased her about something.

Not long afterwards, the door opened and Hermione walked into the living room with Hattie in her arms and Hugo behind her carrying greasy bundles of fish and chips. However, Hermione and Hugo stopped before entering the living area and stood still when they saw the dirty blonde boy removing his shoes.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley," said Scorpious, standing up and straightening himself out.

"Hello, Scorpious," said Hermione, looking back at Ron. "We've been expecting you."

"Maybe you have," grumbled Ron.

Hermione stared at Ron with a look that meant "don't cross me". "Anyway, Scorpius will have Hugo's room, which means, Rosie and Hugo, you will have to share a room for now."

"Ugh, alright," said Rose, not very happy about sharing with Hugo.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," said Scorpious, bowing his head in a dignified manner that made Ron a bit uncomfortable.

"Well, why don't you go take these into the kitchen and get an extra place for Scorpious please, Hugo. Here Rose, take Hattie and get her set up I'll be there in a second…" Once Hermione herded the children into the kitchen, she and Ron were left alone in the front entrance corrider.

"What?" asked Ron.

"You will be civil to him," warned Hermione.

"Of course," said Ron. "It's just…awkward. It's Malfoy's son! I know it's not Draco, it's a different kid, but I still can't get past it! What's wrong with me, 'Mione?"

Hermione smiled at her husband, for not being and being a git. Ron had come a long way from seeing good and bad as black and white. Ron was slowly starting to see Draco as a not really bad guy despite his family's history. However, Hermione also understood how much Draco's taunting affected Ron when they were younger. Ron's love for Hermione and his desire to protect her could never let go of the insults and torture they endured as students. Hermione kissed Ron and hugged him.

"It takes times, love," she said. "I know you want to accept him."

"He knows that I despised his father," said Ron. "I barely spoke to him on the way here."

"Scorpius is a mature young man," Hermione reassured. "I'm sure he understands and I'm sure he is not angry with you."

Ron didn't look completely convinced but his stomach clearly had other ideas so he took Hermione's hand and went into the kitchen to eat dinner.


	4. Chapter 4

The Weasleys woke up the next morning with a different atmosphere around the flat. Ron's awkwardness around Scorpius was tangible. They barely exchanged words last night with Hermione mostly leading the conversation at the table to learn more about the boy who lived with them.

"Do you have any favorite classes, Scorpius?" she asked.

"Potions," said Scorpius. "I found it quite enjoyable when I get something right."

"I'm sure you do," mumbled Ron.

"That's wonderful, dear," said Hermione, staring at Ron. "I'm sure whoever has you for a partner is very lucky indeed. "

Hugo snorted. Rose stared at him.

"What?" asked Ron and Hermione at the same time.

"Rosie's his partner," said Hugo cheekily.

Ron lost color in his face.

"There's an unequal number of Slytherins and Gryffindors in our Potions class. Professor Craven assigned Scorpius and I together," said Rose.

Ron groaned.

The usual rush was happening around the table that morning. Hermione rushing to get Hattie to nursery school for her last day. Afterwards Rose and Hugo would switch off having her during the break. Ron had his usual cuppa before rushing off with Hermione and Hattie, although this morning he seemed anxious to leave before having to make contact with Scorpius. Once the three left, it was just Rose at the table drinking tea and starting her latest novel, _Canterbury Tales._

"Good morning, Rose."

Rose looked up and saw Scorpius entered wearing a dressing gown and satin slippers. She nearly spat out her tea at the sight of him.

"What?" he frowned.

"You look like a dandy," she giggled.

"A what?"

"A dandy. Like Mr. Darcy from _Pride and Prejudice._"

"Who?"

"Jane Austen. She's a Muggle writer from the Regency. My mum got me a box set over the holidays two Christmases ago and l read all of them last summer."

"What are you reading now?"

"_Canterbury Tales_."

"Muggle?"

"Yea – Geoffrey Chaucer."

"Light read?"

"Slightly more complex. I bought the old English version during one of the Hogsmeade trips. It was lucky I found it. I figured it would be a good challenge for the summer." Scorpius nodded and sat down at the table. Rose couldn't help but notice he seemed slightly uncomfortable.

"Scorpius?"

"Mhm?"

"What's wrong?"

"I'm hungry."

"Okay…"

Scorpius turned visibly red. "Rose, I don't know how to cook."

"Not even toast?" she asked incredulously.

"I was never allowed in the kitchens at the Manor."

"Oh," said Rose, slightly amused that that was the problem. "I'll show you how to make toast."

"And tea?"

"I guess how to boil the water also."

"And eggs?"

"Goodness! I'll go ahead and make a proper breakfast for you and you watch and learn."

"Okay," said Scorpius.

As Rose reached for the various necessities for breakfast, she heard Scorpius playing with the various buttons on the microwave.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"What is this?" he asked.

"A microwave."

"What does it do?"

"Heats things up."

Scorpius looked confused and unsure about Rose's answer.

"Trust me, I've used this since I was eleven years old."

It was going to be a long lesson in all things Muggle for Scorpius Malfoy. It was clear that he didn't pay any attention in Muggle Studies, but to not know a microwave? Or how to boil a cup of tea? What was he going to do if he had no wand, no servants, just himself and a few appliances?

At the same time, Rose felt a bit guilty. It's not his fault that at young age his parents enforced strict rules on his behavior and manners around the manor. It wasn't his fault that it never occurred to him to make his own meal or toast his own bread because he had elves to do it, and at Hogwarts food always appears on the tables. Rose was determine to teach him, because maybe he would be incline to listen to her at least.

"Scorpius," she said. "I suggest you change your clothes, because you're able to get a bit messy this morning."


	5. Chapter 5

Ron sat his desk thinking over the night before, when the little intruder – well, not so little – came into his family's life. Hermione was right about Scorpius; he was a nice boy, polite to a fault. Clearly he and Rose got on well, as did Hugo.

"Hello?" it was Harry at the door.

"Hey mate," said Ron. "How goes it?"

"Fine," said Harry. "James brought home his girlfriend last night."

"Girlfriend?" asked Ron.

"Well, his said his 'friend,' but Al and Lily are convinced he has feelings for her," said Harry.

"Is this that Muggle girl? Maggie?"

"Meggie," said Harry. "She's a sweetheart."

"I'm sure," said Ron.

"And Scorpius?"

Ron sighed. "He's a nice kid. He means no harm."

"Give it time mate," said Harry. "It's only been a day."

Ron nodded. Merlin knows how long this young man would be in his house for as long as this ordeal was going on.

"Gentlemen," said Shacklebolt, knocking on the door. "Bad news…"

Harry and Ron didn't need any prompting. It was business as usual. Another death, another lead that lead nowhere, another rough day ahead of them.

Hermione sat in her office trying to edit her grant for an increase in her department's budget, yet she couldn't focus because of the disturbing news that she had just heard: A family of five found dead in their apartment, all with the Killing Curse. It was a father, a mother, and their two daughters and son.

While she was grateful for her husband's dedication to his role as an Auror, Hermione couldn't help but worry about him all the time. Moreover, worry that her children might be in danger one day. No criminal likes an Auror, especially when that Auror works for Harry Potter and who happens to be his best friend. Worst, with this increase in security lately at the office (no closed bags, all wands checked at the door for spells, background checks) Hermione was worried that years of not practicing magic would come back to haunt her.

"Mrs. Weasley?" it was Lara Gwynedd, her secretary.

"Yes Lara?"

"Just a reminder that Hattie gets out of school early for her last day."

"Thank you, Lara. I'll call the house to make sure Hugo or Rose can get her."

Lara left and Hermione was about to make a call when she noticed a weird shadow in her room. It looked like an elf; it was small and hunched over. Hermione shrugged it off; how could an elf get in her office, especially with the security measures in place?

"Hello? Rose? Scorpius?" said Hermione. "Hello dear – oh, it's the first time using the telephone! Well, good for you, dear. Can you let Rose or Hugo know to pick up Hattie from the nursery school at 12? Thank you, dear. No, just push the red telephone button. Yes, it was stop – Hello? Guess he figured it out…"

"Miss…"

Hermione turned around and shrieked when she saw who the shadow belonged to; an elf, an elf with his hands covered in blood.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" she asked, scrambling for her wand.

"Miss…" he said, snarling his teeth into a grotesque smile.

"Stay back! Lara!" she called. She heard Lara immediately scramble at her desk to alert someone. Hermione looked at the elf, who was a far cry from the poor defensive house elves she helped in her department. He was a monster, a little monster.

"Whose blood is that?" she asked.

The elf just stared at her.

"Answer me!" demanded Hermione.

"Miss…" he said, dropping a note from his hand.

Hermione didn't know whether to read it or leave it. Before she had time to think it through, she felt herself fall back into her chair.


	6. Chapter 6

Ron ran as fast as could to his wife's office, with Harry and Beaker, one of the other Aurors, on his heels. The strong scent of blood made Ron feel queasy, but worse werethe members of the Department of Magical and Non-Magical Substances coming in and taking samples of a red liquid away from Hermione's office.

The color in Ron's face disappeared when he walked into the office. Hermione hadn't noticed he was in there, because she was on the ground with her head in her hands. The elf laid on the ground dead, nothing more than blood and guts. Most of it reached the one side's books, pictures of creatures, and several pictures of their family.

"Hermione…" said Ron, kneeling down to put his hand on her shoulder. Hermione turned around to face her husband and put her arms around his shoulders. Once Ron had her in his embrace, she began sobbing and trembling uncontrollably.

"I…I…called home and then…I…saw him, the elf," said Hermione, pointing to the dead body untouched by the Aurors. "And then, he dropped that note and…I don't know, he just, exploded!"

"It's alright, love," said Ron, soothing his wife.

"Ron…that's not even the worst of it…."

"What do you mean?" asked Ron.

Hermione let go of him to walk over to her desk. There was a piece of parchment that was lying there, already unrolled and read. Just as some more people were gathering around the office to see the commotion, Ron took out his wand and slammed the door shut, locking it in the process.

"They need to investigate, Ron," said Hermione, picking up the parchment and trying to regain her composure.

"The hell with that," said Ron. "That least they could do is acknowledge the fact that you're clearly upset by this. You're not a spectacle, Hermione."

"What does the paper say?" asked Ron, before realizing that the paper was the reason why Hermione was upset. Instantly, Hermione began to cry again and handed Ron the paper to read for himself, rather than struggling through reading the message.

_Dear Mrs. Weasley, enjoy my little gift. He was so kind in letting me kill his master and his family. Unfortunately, it's still against the law, isn't it? More to come, I'm sure. Cheers. _

"Hermione," said Ron, throwing the paper on the ground and stomping on it. "We're gonna find the sick bastard who did this, and I promise you'll they'll regret the day they were born."

"No, Ron!" said Hermione. "That's what they want to do is to make you angry."

"Damn right I'm angry!" said Ron. "No one threatens you like that without crossing me!" Without thinking, Ron grabbed a glass from Hermione's desk and threw it against the wall.

"Ron!" shrieked Hermione.

"Fuckin' hell!" cried Ron. He couldn't protect his wife in their offices for Merlin's sake. He was a complete failure, picking up her desk lamp and throwing it against the walls. Why did this happen, why?

"RON!" yelled Hermione. "Please listen to me! You don't think I'm angry too? Destroying the room isn't going to solve any of these problems or find the person who did it. Please, all I'm asking you for my sake is to just be there and…well, calm. I…I don't need to be anymore scared than I am now."

Ron knew that his temper did get the best of him, but in the years of his marriage to Hermione he had tried very hard not to completely lose control of his emotions. The frightened look on her tear-stained face told Ron that Hermione was scared, something she hadn't been for a long time since the Horcrux hunt and Hugo's dramatic birth when she almost died.

"I'm sorry, love," said Ron, embracing her again and kissing her lightly on the cheek. "For now, let me make you a cup of tea and let's help the others with the investigation."


	7. Chapter 7

"Are you sure this isn't real money?" asked Scorpius. It was raining outside today despite the beautiful morning. Scorpius found the family's Monopoly game that was a gift from the Grangers years ago and wanted to learn about it.

"Yes, Scorpius," said Rose, holding Hattie in her lap. "I'm sure of it."

"Actually, you can use it for vending machines," said Hugo.

"Hugo!" said Rose. "That's not fair!"

"What's a vending machine?"

"Honestly mate, have you slept through six years' worth of Muggle studies?" said Hugo, rolling the dice. Scorpius turned red and Rose gave Hugo a look. Hugo just grinned and move his piece. For years, he had seen the interaction between the two of them. He found it incredible that they didn't even hid a relationship; instead, they did this, use the guise of friends and banter to mask their feelings. Rose clearly like Scorpius and Scorpius would give his left arm for her. But Hugo wouldn't push it, it wasn't his place. It was his place to be the obnoxious little brother to Rose's serious and know-it-all big sister role.

"Hey Scorpius," said Hugo. "I'll give you all of my light blue for your two oranges."

"Nice try," said Scorpius. "But I already know that orange is more valuable than blue."

"Or perhaps it's just as valuable?"

"Get the pink, Wosie!" said Hattie.

"Yeah, Wosie," grinned Hugo.

"Hattie, it's Rose, "ruh" "ruh"-ose," said Rose.

"Wose," said Hattie. Almost three, Hattie had issues pronouncing her "r", which turned "Rose" into "Wose."

The door opened and all four turned to see a shaken Hermione and a glum Ron.

"Mum?" asked Rose, getting up.

"Mrs. Weasley, are you alright?" asked Scorpius.

"This doesn't concern you," snapped Ron.

"My apologies," said Scorpius.

"Ron!" whispered Hermione.

"What the hell happened?" asked Hugo, noticing the faint smell of dried blood.

"Language, Hugo," said Hermione.

"Mum you smell like blood!" said Hugo. "My language isn't exactly a priority right now!"

"We'll discuss it after dinner," said Hermione. "For now, I need to shower. Rose, could you start dinner please? I have lamb chops and peas set in the fridge."

"Sure, Mum," said Rose, giving Hattie to Ron.

"Monopoly?" asked Hermione, stopping herself from walking through the game.

"I wanted to learn about it," said Scorpius. "I think Rose is winning though."

"Atta girl!" said Ron, ruffling Rose's curly hair.

"What a good idea for a rainy day," smiled Hermione. "We have lots of board games from my parents. Feel free to look at them."

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," said Scorpius, bowing slightly.

"Mate, you don't have to bow everytime," said Hugo.

"Hugo," warned Hermione.

"I'll start dinner, Mum. It's be ready when you get out of the shower," said Rose. "Scorpius! Come help me."

"Yes, ma'am," said Scorpius, following her into the kitchen.

This left Ron with Hattie and Hugo, who immediately sat down and turned on the telly to WZN 2, the main news channel for the wizarding world. Ron sat down next to Hugo on the couch, letting Hattie walk over to her play table to color or draw or whatever idea she had in her little head.

"You alright, Dad?" asked Hugo.

"Yeah," said Ron. "These murders have been…"

"I know," said Hugo.

Ron sighed. He missed having his boy around and now that Hugo was getting older, he worried that he would miss out on his son's life. Hugo had already expressed a desire to be a sportswriter, which thrilled Ron in the prospect of going to games and events with him. Unfortunately, their summer plans of seeing Quidditch games were interrupted by the recent events. Now Hugo was more concerned that Ron might not make it home and Ron worried that Hugo would suffer if he lost his father.

"Dad?"

"Mhm?"

"It's alright if I don't become an Auror, right?"

"Of course," said Ron, wondering where this came from. "You're bloody smart, you can do whatever you want."

"But a writer isn't as brave as an Auror," said Hugo. "You're always trying to protect us, which is like, the bravest thing ever."

"Thanks, son," said Ron, smiling at his boy. "But it's also not for everyone. If everyone became an Auror, it be a dull world full of paranoid people."

"Paranoid?" said Hugo. "That's impressive from you."

"Alright, cheeky bastard," said Ron, pulling him in to ruffle his hair.

"Dad!" laughed Hugo, trying to tickle his dad's armpits.

Ron laughed as well. It was moments like this, with his kids, that made moments like this mornings, seem like distant memories.


	8. Chapter 8

Their names were Cassius and Sylvia Parathrope. Their kids were Calliope, Sterling, and Caledonia, ages ten, nine, and seven. Calliope would have started Hogwarts next year. Cassius and Sylvia were both Slytherins. However, what Ron learned that was brand new information about the family was that they were in hiding. So who gave away their hiding place?

Kingsley called an emergency meeting that morning, because if Slytherins who were hiding were now being discovered, then they had a huge problem. More disturbing, whoever was behind this was also recruiting the elves of these families to carry out these crimes. The elf in Hermione's office was not the first time something of that nature occurred, although Ron was disturbed that someone could get into that office easily.

It was Alec Beaker, a member of Harry and Ron's team, who immediately started the meeting by stating:

"There's a bloody traitor in the Ministry!"

"Alec…" warned Harry. Beaker was notorious for being crash and rude, unafraid to say what he is thinking.

"How stupid do you think we are?" asked Beaker. "How can someone access the offices and find out who's in hidin'? Only if someone in the Ministry is pullin' the wool over our eyes."

"Rest assure, we are checking everyone," said Kingsley.

"Well apparently that ain't workin'!" said Beaker.

"Then what do you suggest?" asked Jack Woolsworth, the opposite of Beaker.

Beaker grumbled and drank his coffee.

"Beaker's right," said Ron. "No one should have been able to get into my wife's office, not even a bloody house elf."

"We can't do much else, I'm afraid," said Kingsley. "We're going to have to double up on security, send our Aurors out into the field as additional security."

"Night Watch?" asked Woolsworth.

Kingsley nodded severely.

Ron and Harry looked at each other. How could they leave their families to defend someone else's when their own lives were probably at high risk?

"Needless to say, this team will not be on Night Watch until needed. We need you're full attention devoted to finding whoever has been doing this. I'll be coming around to discuss your individual assignments. Meeting adjourned."

Kingsley, Beaker, Woolsworth, and a few others left the room, leaving Harry and Ron in the office.

"Bloody hell," said Ron. "I don't want to sit at my bloody desk for Merlin knows how long in order to catch this sick bastard."

"You heard Kingsley," said Harry. "He's the boss."

"I can't believe you," said Ron, feeling enraged. "If Dumbledore told you to wait at school while he went to fight monsters, you would have followed him!"

"Dumbledore was also testing me half the time to see if I was truly able to take on Voldemort," said Harry. "We don't know where this guy is going to strike, hell we don't know who the hell he is!"

Ron nodded. At this point he wanted this whole ordeal to be over.

"I swear, if I have to see one more dead family…"

"Ron," said Harry. "Don't do this to yourself."

"Do what?"

"Take other people's problems and place them on yourself. It doesn't make it better, trust me."

"Alright mate," said Ron, getting up and heading back to the office.

"One, two, three, here I am!" cried Hattie.

"I don't think that's how you play hide-and-seek," said Scorpius from behind the curtain.

"She's still learning," said Hugo, coming out from his hiding spot from behind the sofa. "She'll get there, won't you bug?" Hugo picked up Hattie and tossed her into the air, making her squeal in delight. Scorpius smiled at the interaction. For years, he wished he had had a sibling. Perhaps one day when he married a wonderful woman he could have a family with two children, maybe three like the Weasleys. Perhaps he could also sell that hellhole of a manor for a happy, cozy place like this flat.

"Hello?" asked Hermione, entering the flat.

"Hi Mum," said Hugo, holding Hattie like a plank. "Where's Dad?"

"Still at work, he'll be home late," said Hermione. "Where's Rosie?"

"At the library," said Hugo. "She said something about a talk tonight…"

"Oh, I remember now," said Hermione, putting down her stuff. "A professor's giving a talk about Jane Austen and social norms."

"That's it!" said Hugo.

"Mummy!" squealed Hattie.

"Why, who said that?" asked Hermione, pretending not to see Hattie.

"I don't know," said Hugo, going along with it.

"Me!" laughed Hattie.

"Oh, it was you!" said Hugo, putting her down then tickling her.

"It's so good to have you two home," said Hermione, hugging Hattie. "Hattie certainly loves having you two home."

"It's nice to be home," said Hugo.

"It's nice to see a real home," said Scorpius, unaware that he had said that aloud.


	9. Chapter 9

Rose was in the library afterwards looking at the books. The talk had ended an hour ago but it had been so long since she had been in that library she wanted to stay longer and see the new additions. Once she turned nine, she was allowed to come here by herself in the afternoon as long as she left by 4:30 to get home for dinner. Her parents made a curfew for her otherwise she would be stuck in that library for hours. It was now eight o'clock and Rose was about to leave the library when she overheard words she didn't think Muggles knew.

"They're Slytherins, ya?" said one gentleman, sitting in a table in one of nooks

"Of course they are!" said the other. "That's name well known in the Deatheater community."

Naturally curious, Rose hid behind a bookcase to hear more. After all, she was a Gryffindor.

"Hate them," said the first man. "Do you know what they did to my family? Ruin them!"

"Now, now," said the second man. "I don't care what they did, I just need the money."

"Really?" asked the first man.

"Well," laughed the second man. "I do think I'm pretty good at killin'."

Rose felt a knot in her throat but stayed perfectly still. Maybe she could see the men, maybe she could get a photo…

Immediately, Rose pulled out her phone and made sure all the noises were silenced. If they heard her, it could be the last time Rose Weasley was seen alive. After performing a silence charm on herself, Rose tried to get a photo of the men without getting caught.

"C'mon," said Rose, trying to get a good angle.

"Gentlemen," said the librarian, walking over to them. Rose immediately hid out of sight, before peeping her head out.

"The library closes in fifteen minutes," she said.

"Does it now?" asked the second man with the first man smirking.

"Yes," she said, not tolerating their nonsense.

Rose saw that the three of them were paying no attention to anything else and snap a photo of the men. It was a bit blurry so she tried again, getting a clearer photo.

"Hey!"

Rose scrambled behind the bookcase.

"Who's there?"

Rose immediately pulled out her wand and sent a charm to hit a bookcase far away from where she was, knocking the books over and creating a distraction. With the librarian gone, Rose saw the men walking over to her bookcase, and Rose whispered a charm to turn off the lights.

"Bloody hell," said the first man, pulling out his wand to see. "What kinda place is this?"

"Let's get outta here," said the second man. "This is givin' me the creeps."

"You don't think someone is here, do ya?"

"Nah, let's just go before that weird bird gets back."

Rose waited until the men had left behind turning back on the power. Once they were out of sight, she run to the library entrance, waited, then walked outside down the stairs. Still uncertain about the men, Rose had her wand where she could reached it. It was a ten minute walk back to her house, but it felt more like twenty minutes, as Rose walked slowly trying to make sure no one was following here.

As she walked, she saw a shadow in front of her. The figure was approaching her at a fast pace. Just before she pulled out her wand, she recognized the voice.

"Rosie?"

"Dad?"

"What's wrong?" asked Ron, running towards her noticing she had been spooked.

"Dad, we need to get home," she said calmly. "I'll explain there."

"Okay," he said, putting his arm around her and walking home.

"Did you just get home?" asked Rose, realizing he was still dressed in what he normally wore to the Ministry for his job.

"Yeah," said Ron. "We're starting Night Watch now, which means, _Rose_, no leaving the house after eight after tonight. Whoever these killers are, they mean business."

"I know. That's what I want to talk to you about."


	10. Chapter 10

Like his late brother, Dennis Creevey was skilled at photography and became part of the Auror Department's Photography Analysis. After much convincing, Rose gave Ron her phone to analyze the photos of the two men from the library. Additionally, Rose had to come in and gave a statement, permitted that she was a reliable source.

"She's not even my daughter and I trust her with my life, given what Finn tells me," said Dennis.

"How's Finn these days?" asked Ron. Finn and Hugo were best friends at Hogwarts, both sharing dorms, partnering for classes, practicing and reporting Quidditch, and stuffing their faces at the Great Hall.

"Good. Hopefully they can see each other before school starts," said Finn, magnifying the photo.

Ron and Woolsworth oversaw this process, while Beaker interviewed Rose. Ron was slightly nervous since Beaker was not the gentlest of men, even though Rose had Hermione's tough and stubborn attitude.

"What do you see, Dennis?" asked Woolsworth.

"Well, the one on the left had a five o'clock shadow, dark hair…no tattoos or piercings to go off of. The one the right – do you see how his lip sticks out a bit?"

"Umm…yes?" said Ron, not seeing it.

"He has a harelip," said Dennis. "That's a distinctive feature to go off of for now."

"From what Rose told me last night, these men have probably killed before," said Ron.

"That may be, but we're going to have to wait until Beaker is done with the interview," said Woolsworth.

"How old do you think these guys might be?" asked Ron.

"Chances are they are thirty to forty years of age, maybe even fifty. Judging by the stance of the one on the left…yes, I see it now."

"What?" asked Woolsworth and Ron.

"His knee – he's got a dodgy knee."

Beaker burst into the room at that moment.

"Hey Beak," said Dennis, not bothering to turn around.

"That's not my name," said Beaker.

"How was the interview?" asked Woolsworth.

Ron knew he had to keep from talking. This was not his problem; this was between the case and Rose. Hopefully, he saw the same value in Rose's words as Ron did even though she was his daughter.

"It's a start," said Beaker begrudgingly. "Once we catch one of them, we'll need her to come in to identify the man based on the voice. What do you have, Creevey?"

"This one has a dodgy knee; this one has a harelip. Judging by the photos, they're between thirty and fifty years old."

"All of that from a mobile phone camera?" asked Beaker, skeptically.

"Unless you want to look at every photos from the database, it's best if we have a range."

"I guess," sighed Beaker. Beaker and Creevey differed on their approaches to investigation. Creevey believed a picture worth a thousand words, while Beaker thought actions spoke louder than words. Nevertheless, both had respect for the other's works, even if it involved a bit of verbal jousting.

"Right, let's set up a time to meet up," said Creevey.

"Sound goods," said Beaker. "For now, I need Weasley to come back with me."

Ron looked confused but followed him anyway, thanking Creevey and reminding Woolsworth to meet him before they left for the day. As Beaker and Ron walked down the hallway, Ron felt a bit of tension coming from Beaker.

"Mate, are you sure about this?" asked Beaker.

"About what?" asked Ron.

"You've just pulled your daughter into this," said Beaker. "I ain't got kids of my own, but to bring your daughter into this…"

"Of course I'm not okay with it completely," said Ron. "But…this might be the break we need, Beaker, and it's Rose. All Weasley, all Granger, all Gryffindor. She wants to be in this."

"But you don't," said Beaker.

Ron sighed. "No. But she's sixteen, I have to let go at some point."

"You sound convinced," snorted Beaker.

"It's hard," said Ron. "She's my little girl."


	11. Chapter 11

Rose and Scorpius were walking around Kensington Park after seeing the Palace. They were looking for the statue of Peter Pan, one of Rose's favorite things in London, although Scorpius was looking for food at the moment.

"C'mon, Rosie," said Scorpius. "Can't we go back to that teahouse we saw? Just a piece of cake or a scone or toast…"

"Honestly, Scorpius," said Rose, stopping in her tracks. "You're worst that Hattie."

"So, that's a yes?" asked Scorpius.

"Fine," said Rose. "Let's go back there."

Secretly, Scorpius knew that Rose was hungry as well. Unfortunately, Rose was so determined when she set her mind to things and stubborn to stop that she forgot to eat sometimes. Scorpius recalled times especially for the OWLs when Rose fainted because she didn't stop to eat. Scorpius remembered that day vividly since it was the first time he was genuinely concerned about her, even going to the infirmary with her. Not wanting that to happen today, Scorpius figured feigning his hunger would get her to stop and go eat something, although he was plenty hungry as well.

The tea house was lovely: it was an old greenhouse with green iron chair and tables. Ferns decorated the place as well as empty bird cages full of in season flowers. Rose ordered a slice of chocolate cake and Orangina, while Scorpius ordered a raspberry tart.

"I'll have pumpkin juice, please," said Scorpius.

The waitress looked very confused. "We don't have that."

"Oh, well, then, I'll have what she's drinking," said Scorpius.

Once the waitress left the table, Scorpius shot a sharp glance at Rose who was trying to suppress her laughter.

"You could have warned me!" he whispered.

"I thought you would have figured it out," said Rose. "Have you even had Orangina?"

"Of course not! I didn't want to look like an idiot," he said.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Merlin knows you could _never _look like an idiot."

"Oh really, Miss Perfect?" said Scorpius.

"Since when is this about me?" asked Rose.

"It's always about you," said Scorpius laughing.

Rose turned a bright shade of red.

"Rosie?" asked Scorpius.

"Mhm?"

"Was it what I said?"

"No, of course not! I…I…"

"Rose."

"Here you are," said the waitress, putting down two bottles. "Two Oranginas. Enjoy."

Rose took a sip from hers quickly. She didn't want to speak to Scorpius for a moment, hoping her blushed cheeks would fade away. How stupid she must look right now! Scorpius has been her friend since she was a first year at Hogwarts. She was just a brainy and bossy girl, no guy like Scorpius would ever be interested in her. And where was all of this coming from? Why did she care about how he thought of her? He wasn't _that _attractive with his blonde hair, green eyes, mischievous smile, soft laugh…

"Rosie." The way he says her name…

"What?" she asked.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I…I just thought I saw someone I knew. Yes! Someone from nursery that I…didn't like!"

"Oh," said Scorpius, a little crestfallen. "Well, okay."

Rose looked confused. Was he looking for a different response?

The waitress brought them their pastries and left them alone. Immediately both picked up their forks and ate their food trying to avoid any mishaps.

"So," said their waitress, checking in on them. "How is everything?"

"Good," replied both of them at the same time.

"Well, here's the cheque when you're ready. Enjoy the rest of your date."

Scorpius choked on his food and Rose once again, turned red.


	12. Chapter 12

The next two weeks dragged on slowly. Not helping was that fact that this summer was apparently the hottest on record for the country.

With Ron on the Night Watch and Hermione cutting down her hours to be home, there was plenty of tension between the two of them over the smallest things given Ron's insomnia and Hermione's not so calm approach to Ron's temper.

Rose and Hugo were also feeling tense sharing rooms since unlike Rose, Hugo was a world class slob. The room was covered with socks, trousers, and jumpers all unfold on the floor while Rose had her spare cot made neatly every morning.

"I swear to Merlin, Hugo – if you don't pick up your clothes, I will!"

"Then do! It'll be a free maid service for me!"

"Ronald! Why did you touch that!"

"Bloody hell, Hermione, it's a door!"

"That's about to lose its hinges! I told you we need new ones, not just spells!"

"Well I'm sorry I didn't pursue a trade in carpentry!"

Fights were all that were happening. It seemed that Scorpius could only talk to the three-year-old, who was just as prone to temper tantrums as the rest of her hotheaded clan. One this day though, Scorpius noticed something a bit strange about the flat.

For the past few days, Hattie claimed to have seen a strange little man lurking around her window. The flat they lived in was stories above the ground, but there were ledges and fire escapes visible from the flat. However, due to the family's rising tension and heat wave, no one really listened to the little girl's incoherent mumbles in the morning…except Scorpius.

That night around 9:00 pm, Hattie had just gone to sleep after pleading with her parents not to send her to bed.

"But the mean little man will come back!"

"Hattie, love," said Hermione. "There's no bad man. It's all in your head."

"I don't know Mrs. Weasley," said Scorpius. "For the past two weeks, Hattie's talked about this for some time…"

"Look, mate, just bugger off of this, alright?" said Ron.

"For Merlin's sake, Ronald! Can you at least feign civility!" shouted Hermione.

The fight continued on with Rose offered to sleep in Hattie's room so she can get away from Hugo's room.

"I don't even think Azkaban can compete with this!" said Rose.

"Oh please," said Hugo.

Scorpius remained silent, however he had a quick glance over at Hattie's room, where he saw a shadow appear and disappear outside the window. He also realized that Hattie also saw the shadow and her blue eyes grew wide with fear.

That was that.

Now, Scorpius stood out of Hattie's room, debating whether or not he should go in and check in on the little girl. He thought about Hugo, who despite his carefree nature was just as protective of his sister in danger as his father. A year ago some seventh year tried drag Rose out of a school dance to hook up with her. When Rose refused, the student used a sleeping charm to make her groggy. Before Scorpius had a chance to stop him, Hugo had stepped in, despite his presence not being allowed for the dance. Never in his life had Scorpius seen such strength in Hugo, who punched the boy right in the nose and made him fall flat backwards.

Scorpius opened the door to see Hattie sleeping peacefully in her bed. Before leaving her room, he saw the shadow sitting on a fire escape and in a blink of eye, it tapped on Hattie's window.

Just as Scorpius could call for the Weasleys, the window glass broken. Immediately Hattie screamed and Scorpius grabbed Hattie from her bed. The shadow had a figure: an elf with a disposition unlike any house elf Scorpius ever met. He pounced for Scorpius, who grabbed a pillow from Hattie's bed and swung it at the elf as hard as he could with one arm, while holding a hysterical Hattie in the other.

"Who's there?" yelled Ron, coming towards Hattie's room with everyone else. Scorpius prayed that they had wands, because he did not. The elf jumped towards Scorpius again, letting out a vicious and demonic cry. Scorpius turned his shoulder so Hattie would be unaffected and let the elf bit his shoulder.

"Scorpius!" cried Rose as he let out of a yelp of pain.

"_Stupefy_!" cried Ron, aiming directly at the elf.

"Ron, get out the window!" cried Hermione, recalling the last time she encountered an elf.

Ron and Hugo were both throwing stunning curses at the elf until Hugo finally had the nerve to pick up the elf and throw it out the window, with Ron aiming one final deadly blow to the elf. It was a curse his mother used on Bellatrix Lestrange years ago, a power Ron finally understood now that he had children.

"Oh, my baby!" cried Hermione, embracing a still shaken Hattie, while sobbing uncontrollably after fearing the worst would have happened.

"Scorpius, your shoulder…" said Rose, trying to do a healing charm on Scorpius. "Dad, he needs to go to St. Mungos."

"Merlin," said Hugo, looking at the small yet deep wound Scorpius endure to save his baby sister.

"Right," said Ron, helping Scorpius up since he felt shooting pains in his shoulders. "Hermione, gather what you can and take the kids to the Burrow."

"But Dad…" protested Rose, as he wanted to go with Scorpius.

"Rose, help you mother. You need to get away, now."


	13. Chapter 13

Molly Weasley, also known as Gram, was about to head upstairs to bed as her wonderful husband Arthur snoozed in his large armchair in their living room. Now that all seven children were out of the house, the Burrow seemed quieter and bigger without so many people cramming into one space, unless its Christmastime or birthdays. One that summer evening, Molly had opened the windows to let some air into the house. The fireplace had a small flame going since Molly preferred the fire's light as oppose to the bright flourescent lights that Arthur brought home with him.

Just time, the silence was broken when four people appeared in the floo.

"Hermione?" asked Molly.

"Mhm...who's there?" asked Arthur, waking up from his nap.

"What are you doing here this late at night?" asked Molly. "Arthur and I weren't expecting you."

Hermione sighed, trying to keep her composure. "We were attacked in our apartment tonight."

Molly gasped and immediately embraced Rose and Hugo before embracing Hermione and Hattie, who was no longer crying but trembling with fright after the ordeal.

"Who attacked you?" asked Arthur.

"An elf, or some vicious creature – I don't even think it's a real elf."

"What do you mean?" asked Molly.

"It's a long story," said Hermione. "For now, I need to get Hattie to sleep and wait for Ron to get to the Burrow. I'm sorry to intrude like this Molly…"

"Nonsense," scoffed Molly. "Did Ronnie send you here?"

"Yes."

"That's one of the few sensible things he's ever done, next to marrying you! Let's put Rose in Ginny's old room, Hugo in Ron's room, and the twins' room for you and Ronnie. Arthur, do we have an old cot for Hattie?"

"Don't worry about it tonight, Molly," said Hermione. "Hattie's so shaken I think having me with her will help her sleep."

"Right, I'll get some sheets from the cabinet and make the beds," said Molly, walking up the stairs.

"Do you need any help, Gran?" asked Rose.

"No dear, it's do me some good to have a chore again!" said Molly, who really did enjoying taking care of all of her grandchildren.

Arthur looked at Rose and Hugo, who were just as on edge as Hermione and Hattie. He sighed and wondered when this family was ever escape its constant dangers.

"Let's go into the kitchen, kids. I believe your Gran made some Shortbread the other day and I'm sure we could all use some of that wonderful tea your friend Longbottom prescribed for restlessness."

Hermione smiled and nodded, following her father-in-law into the kitchen with her children in tow. Just like the living room, the kitchen felt slightly larger without so many bodies crowding it, but the summer breeze and the smell of flowers from the outdoors made it just as cozy and homely. Arthur pulled out the tin of biscuit and the tea bags while Hermione started a flame for the boiling water, placing Hattie in a chair in between Rose and Hugo.

"Now, this is more like it! I know we're short a person – wait, actually, two people! - where's the Malfoy boy?" asked Arthur, suddenly realizing that there was no blond boy in the crowd. It was Percy who alerted Arthur about the living arrangement, and while he was as shocked as anyone else, he was nevertheless impressed with his son.

"At St. Mungo's with Dad," said Hugo. "The elf bit his shoulder."

"An elf biting a person?" asked Arthur, incredulously.

"It's like what Mum said; the elf seemed more demonic that an ordinary house elf!" said Rose. "He almost bit Hattie and that when Scorpius step in." Rose stopped herself for a second, fearing she sounded over dramatic at her description of Scorpius. He sounded like a Launcelot in her rendition, but perhaps that was not a bad thing in Rose's mind…

"Whoever is killing these Slytherin families is also using their elves to carry out their means," said Hermione, pouring some milk for Hattie and Hugo, who was not very keen on tea. "Did Ron tell you about the elf in my office?"

"I've heard. That must have been just awful for you, love," said Arthur.

"Recently a family placed in hiding was discovered and killed too," said Hermione, put tea bags into the cups. "Although that's about all I know from Ron. He's been gone every night the past two weeks due to the Night Watch that I see him for dinner and then he's off."

"That's not all," said Rose. "I saw people that could be connected to the murders in our public library the other night."

"Did you actually see them?" asked Hugo.

"Well, mostly, I got a photo of them."

"Which I still don't like," said Hermione. "I know you want to help Rose, but you're only fifteen years old. You shouldn't be involved in all of this."

"You and Dad and Uncle Harry were just as involved when you were fifteen!" protested Rose. "Besides, don't you want this to end?"

"Of course," said Hermione.

"Me too! That's when I want to help!"

"Rose – "

"Mum, the tea's ready," said Hugo, who had grabbed the two glasses of milk for himself and Hattie.

"We'll talk about this later," said Hermione, as she went to turn off the water and stop the kettle from singing.


	14. Chapter 14

Ron sat in the cold, bright room at St. Mungo's while the doctor and nurses worked on Scorpius' wound, watching the boy wince at the stitches and potions being applied to the wound. Although he had the option to wait outside, Ron felt like he had to be in the room to make sure Scorpius was okay. For the past month, Ron had been aloof with Scorpius. Everyone else had been slightly more welcoming and open to Scorpius.

Usually when Ron responded to Scorpius, it was short one word answers. Other times, he would scoff at Scorpius' posh manners. At his first Sunday dinner, Scorpius had asked why the family didn't have silver plates.

"Not all of us are born with money," responded Ron shortly, before Hermione stared him down.

Unlike Rose and Hugo, who dressed in Muggle clothes during their holidays, Scorpius always dressed very smartly and posh in collar shirts, pressed trousers, and polished shoes. He was so well kempt that Rose would have to prompted him to take off his shoes in the flat.

Sometimes, Scorpius would try to help out with washing or cleaning. One morning, Scorpius tried to help Rose load the dishwater, however he had added too much soap causing it to overflow. It wasn't until Ron walked into the kitchen, seeing both teenagers clean the mess that he noticed the fiasco taking place. Another time, Scorpius throw a bar of soap into the laundry since Hugo had instructed him to added soap, without specifying the necessary agent. Both times, Ron lost his temper at Scorpius and Hermione always interfere in defense of Scorpius.

Each little tiny thing that shouldn't make Ron's blood boil made him impatient at Scorpius. Now, the boy who constantly but unintentionally agitated him was now in St. Mungo's getting stitches for his wounds. If he hadn't been there, it would have been Hattie enduring the pain.

"There we go, Mr. Malfoy," said the doctor, cleaning and snipping off the last of the stitches' ends. "That should be all patched up. How are you feeling?"

"Been better," said Scorpius, trying to move his shoulder without wincing in pain. "But at least I'll feel better tomorrow."

"That would a pretty deep wound," said the doctor. "What bit you again?"

"An elf," said Scorpius. "It would have bit the little girl in the room if I hadn't shielded her."

"That's not a normal elf," said the doctor. "That's a bite no domesticated elf is capable of producing, even if it was in serious danger. That would have had dire consequences with the little girl."

"Bloody hell," whispered Ron.

After a brief silent moment, the doctor was called to the front desk. Once he left, it was just Ron and Scorpius in the room, looking at each other as the lights buzzed.

"Thanks for staying with me," said Scorpius, trying to break the silence.

"Oh for Merlin's sake," sighed Ron. "Don't thank me – thank _you_. I should be thanking you for protecting Hattie when I wasn't there."

Scorpius was surprised – Mr. Weasley was _thanking _him? Was this a prank? Normally he was being called a lousy little worm, a rich boy with a silver spoon dangling from his mouth, and a platinum-blonde pest.

"Mr. Malfoy," said the doctor reentering the room. "I'm afraid you have some more company. They want to see you too, Mr. Weasley."

"Alright then," said Scorpius, praying that it was Rose.

"Bring them in," said Ron, hoping it wasn't Harry.

Much to their disappointment, it was Harry, Shacklebolt, and Beaker.

"You alright mate?" asked Harry to Ron. "Are Hermione and the kids alright?"

"Yeah, it's just the lad here dealt with the worst," said Ron, uncharacteristically smiling at Scorpius, who gave a small laugh back.

"Lemme see," said Beaker, walking over to Scorpius. At the sight of the stitches, Beaker whistled.

"Not bad, lad," said Beaker. "Although I've had worse in the line of battle…"

"That's enough, Beaker," said Shacklebolt. "He's not a spectacle – he's very much in danger."

"The whole family's in danger," said Harry. "Whoever sent that elf knew Scorpius was at your flat."

"The kids and Mione are already at the Burrow," said Ron. "There's no way we can go back to the flat until that sick creep is caught."

"Do you know where the elf came from?" asked Scorpius.

"We have some ideas actually – we'll discuss later, Weasley," said Shacklebolt, stopping Ron before he asked the questions.

"I'm always the last to know," mumbled Ron, listening and staying in the room until Scorpius was ready to be released.


	15. Chapter 15

"Please…" begged Rose.

"No," said Hermione, firmly.

"Mum, it's just the library! If I come back before 4, I wouldn't run into anyone!"

"No," said Hermione, pouring herself another cup of tea. With the exception of Hugo, who was still asleep. "You're staying here until your father comes home. If he saw you weren't here, he would lose his mind and assemble the Aurors to search for you."

Rose sighed and slumped in her chair, defeated.

"Besides, Scorpius might be coming back this morning," said Hermione, noticing Rose perking up at the sound of his name.

"Hopefully that injury wasn't too bad," said Molly, holding Hattie in her lap.

Just then, Rose noticed a puff of soot coming from the floo, and realized that someone was here. Then, another set of footsteps was heard in the living room.

"Hello?" said a voice.

"Is that you, Jack?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah," he said.

"Mrs. Weasley?" asked the another voice.

"Scorpius!" cried Rose, rushing to the living room and almost knocking over her chair.

"Rose!" said Scorpius, excitedly. However, Rose did not forget that his shoulder was in pain, nor could his face hid the pain he was feeling from moving one inch of that muscle. Both were facing each other, but instead of hugging each other, they awkwardly shook hands instead.

"Good to see you again, Rosie," smiled Scorpius.

"You too," she replied, feeling her cheeks flush.

"Where's Ronald?" asked Hermione.

"Currently on the hunt for some mutated elves," said Beaker. "But I don't think they'll have much luck finding them."

"Why not?" asked Rose.

"Well…and maybe I shouldn't be telling you this…"

"You brought me in as a witness," said Rose. "I can hear this."

"And my life is practically at sake," said Scorpius. "And I just had an elf bite my shoulder like a rack of lamb."

"Alright," said Beaker. "We were able to get a lead on the two men from the library."

"Really?" asked Rose.

"Yeah - I went undercover to a Muggle police station near the library and found that one of them – the dodgy knee one – had been at the station for disorderly conduct, and we were able to figure out where he works."

"He works in a Muggle job?" asked Scorpius, incredulously.

"Yeah, just as a janitor. But we know what company he works at parttime. I've been tracking his path and may have a lead to a possible hideout for whoever is creating these mutated elves."

"Mhm," said Scorpius, with a tone of skepticism. Rose looked at him confused.

"Well, we'll let you get back to work," said Molly, bringing him some shortbread. "Take these to Ronnie and the rest of the team when you go back to the department."

"Will do," said Beaker, disappearing into thin air.

"Now, let's get you seated and put some heat on that wound," said Molly, leading Scorpius to a chair. "You've got to rest that shoulder for a bit…and I'm sure you're hungry! I'll prepare a nice big breakfast for you."

"Um, thank you, Mrs. Weasley," said Scorpius. "But…that's really not necessary…I'm find with some tea and toast…"

"Nonsense!" said Molly, bringing him a Muggle heating pad Arthur tinkered with three years ago. "First of all, that St. Mungo's food doesn't make you feel any better…"

"I didn't eat at St. Mungo's, Mrs. Weasley," interrupted Scorpius, as Molly placed a heating charm on the pad.

"Well, that's more of a reason for me to make you something to eat!" she exclaimed. "Anything for the boy who saved my grandbaby!" Scorpius watched in horror as Molly made her way to the kitchen, humming to herself and heating the stovetop to cook some food.

"Is…is…is she always this…"

"Motherly? Yes," laughed Hermione as she put some more pillows behind Scorpius's back. "I'm afraid with you, she's in full grandmother mode."

"Really? This is normal for grandmothers?" asked Scorpius. He was used to his grandmothers wearing long dresses with brooches on their collars, commanding their elves to do everything and being showered with gifts, not cooked breakfasts.

"We can't thank you enough for protecting Hattie," said Hermione. "This is our way of thanking you for doing that."

"Honestly, Mrs. Weasley? I should be thanking your family for taking me in," said Scorpius. "I know it's dangerous right now for anyone to be hiding my family, and I really appreciate it."

Hermione smiled at him. Somehow, Draco and Astoria managed to raise a boy who was decent and gracious. It was a shame that Ron couldn't be here to hear those words.

"You should get some rest, Scorpius," said Hermione, as Molly began to prepare some eggs and bacon. "We'll bring out your food when it's ready."

"Thank you," said Scorpius, as Hermione went to the kitchen.

"Scorpius…"

Scorpius had forgotten that Rose was still in the room, standing in the same spot when Beaker had brought him to the Burrow. She had quizzical expression planted firmly on her face, and it was not difficult for Scorpius to notice it.

"Yes?" he asked, watching Rose make her way to sit on a stool near the chair.

"What's on your mind?" she asked, rest her right arm on his chair's left arm.

"What do you mean?" he asked, although anticipating her question.

"You sounded confused when Beaker mentioned the dodgy knee man, why?" she asked.

"Well," he sighed. "It's just…why would Beaker go through all that trouble to follow that guy instead of just placing a patrol on the library?"

Rose perked up at that. "Yeah…maybe it's a common meeting place…"

"Perhaps," shrugged Scorpius. "I dunno, that's just a thought…Rosie?"

Rose stood up with a smile on her face – it was a mischievous, cunning little grin that meant she had an idea, a really dangerous, bad idea.

"Rosie," said Scorpius. "Whatever you're thinking, please don't follow through with it."

"I'm going to take the floo in the inn at St. Otterly Catchpole to our flat, then head to the library," she whispered to Scorpius. "If they asked where I went to, just be honest with them and say the library."

"Rose," said Scorpius, gently grasping her arm. Before he could finish his thought, Rose covered his mouth.

"That way, at least we can get the Aurors to go to the library and give them the idea of setting up a patrol around the library. Now, I'm going to leave now. Do not make a sound and _don't _try to stop me." And with that, Rose snuck out of the house, carefully opened the door without alerting her mother or grandmother.

All Scorpius could do was watch and quickly formulate a lie and plan to save her.


	16. Chapter 16

Ron and Harry sat in the cafeteria of the Ministry, grabbing a quick lunch of sandwiches, scones, and coffee before enduring another grueling day of investigation. Beaker had briefed them on his findings on where one of the two men from the library worked, giving them a lead and hopefully a chance to find out whoever responsible for the mass murders and mutations was hiding. Yet despite the initial joy of having a lead, Ron had interrupted the moment by asking:

"What about the library?"

"What about it?" asked Harry.

"Has anyone been watching that location?"

Harry shook his head. "Beaker claimed it was a onetime thing; believes that it would be too risky for them to meet at a library and Rose got lucky seeing them there."

"Still…it was really the only lead we have in finding these guys. I don't know why we wouldn't follow up with that."

Just then, Dennis burst into the cafeteria, waving a file in his hands and nearly spilling over two bowls of soup, three cuppa teas, and one cocoanut cream cake. He spotted Ron and Harry, ran over to their table, and flung the file down on the table.

"It's a forgery," said Dennis, out of breath.

"What?" asked Harry, his eyes growing wide.

"I checked those papers Beaker showed me…usually, Muggles put markings or things to distinguish forgeries from the real thing…and, they weren't there."

"Damnit," sighed Harry. "Have you told Shacklebolt yet?"

"No, I'm too afraid to," said Dennis. "…you should do it, Harry."

"What?"

"You faced the Dark Lord! You can easily face Shacklebolt."

"You always use that excuse," sighed Harry, putting down the file.

"I mean," said Dennis. "As much as I wanted this lead to work, why didn't we put a patrol down at the library where the photos were taken?"

"Thank you!" said Ron.

"Fine, I'll go tell Shacklebolt…and maybe get a patrol going on the library," said Harry, rubbing his eyes. Ron couldn't help but noticed their redness from exhaustion and frustration, not that his own blue eyes were faring any better from the past weeks.

"I mean," said Dennis. "And this is my own thought…but, it's almost as if they _knew _we would go to that station, and they _knew _to forge those documents. Why bother?"

Just then, Ron's face went white.

"Ron?" asked Harry. "Mate?"

"Beaker," he mumbled.

"What?"

"Beaker was entirely in charge of that investigation. We know there's a mole in the department because how else are these families being exterminated?"

"Ron…" cautioned Harry. "We can't just assume that…"

"Why not?" asked Ron. "I mean, I'm not going to arrest him or duel him…"

"Ron, this is nonsense," said Harry. "You're sleep deprived; I think it's all in your head."

"Is it?" questioned Ron, becoming agitated with Harry.

"I'm not going to question Beaker's integrity," said Harry, firmly. "But I'm willing to push back and call for a patrol on the library."

"Yeah, sure," said Ron, sipping his coffee.

"And Ron?"

"Mhm?"

"Go home. I'm putting you on leave for two days."

"Harry," protested Ron. "I don't need to go on leave…"

"Ron, your family needs you right now. Go home," said Harry, getting up from the table. "That's an order from Shacklebolt."

Ron scowled but nodded to Harry, following him back to the department and gathering a couple of things before heading back to the Burrow. He could feel his arms sagging, heavy and weighted like anchors. He rubbed his eyes, and they felt sore at the touch. Maybe Harry was right; maybe he needed a solid eight hours of home away from the office. It would be nice to kiss Hermione, hug Rose, ruffle Hugo's hair, and tickle Hattie until she burst into giggles.

"See you later, Harry. Let me know if you need me," said Ron.

"Will do," nodded Harry, watching his mate stagger away from the table.


End file.
